Last Christmas
by pokelover0ash
Summary: Last Christmas wasn't exactly the best and I'll tell you why: too much heartache and pain happened for me. Sit back and I, Karrie, will tell you this story of love, pain, rejection, and so on with the help of my friends Ashleigh and Zenya. Oh, and maybe, just maybe we'll have a happy ending, if we're lucky at all.


**Me:** Merry Christmas!

**Keith:** Happy Holidays!

**Me:** though this isn't exactly what I originally planned to do for Christmas for fanfiction, but it works

**Karrie:** she was listening to Taylor Swift's "Last Christmas" and got this idea

**Me:** I do not own Pokemon or Taylor Swift or "Last Christmas"

* * *

Last Christmas

Hey guys! It's me, Karrie Hajime, younger sister of Top Ranger Kellyn Hajime, the skiddish stubborn tomboy. You know, the short curvy girl with the blue eyes that have a dash of green and long brown hair held back in a braid? The miniature female Kellyn? Yeah, that's me.

I know what you're probably thinking: doesn't she have only one crush? What could have possibly happened to her that "Last Christmas" could ever fit with the theme? And I don't blame you, so I'm going to tell you about a few friends of mine that you may recognize.

Well, there's Ashleigh, the friendly quiet nerd that always tries to be a good listener if you have problems. She's got soft chocolate colored hair and blue eyes. She's not the tallest person in world, but she's taller than me. Her favorite color is blue and she loves to read. Last year she finally admitted to having a crush on Kellyn, but that crush thing didn't end very well.

There's also Zenya, now she's a quiet one (she speaks less than Ashleigh and Ashleigh can say very little if she wants to). She's really tall and skinny with short brown hair and big blue eyes. She doesn't smile much, but you can tell that she's constantly thinking and reflecting. She also can move around quickly and quietly without people noticing her which has scared the crap out of me on a number of occasions before. She told me and Ashleigh once that she did indeed like Jackie, formally known as Jack Walker.

So what happened last Christmas? Well, maybe I should tell you, huh?

~Flashback~

_It was like any other normal Christmas in the Ranger Union. This year we were setting the party up on the fourth floor, a.k.a. the roof. I was helping Rhythmi and Kate set up decorations with Linda when Zenya came up with her Gardevoir and Ashleigh with Riolu, Eevee, Vulpix, and boxes full of more decorations. Zenya got dragged into helping put up stuff high and eventually the dreaded talk about gifts and crushes came up thanks to the two Operators._

_"So is there anybody special you want to meet under the mistletoe?" Linda asked and cue the red faces of blushing girls. We somehow managed to get out of the conversation rather quickly compare to usual and maybe I should have known then that things were going to go wrong. Zenya, Ashleigh, and I went out to shop so that we wouldn't get dragged on one of Rhythmi's shopping adventures. Little did I know then, the crush conversation would come back._

_"I just got to get Kellyn something and I'll have all my presents ready," Ashleigh said while blushing._

_"What do you plan on getting him?" I asked._

_"I'm not sure," Ashleigh replied. "I want it to be special though."_

_"You're planning on confessing, aren't you?" Zenya asked and Ashleigh face flamed red._

_"Y-Yes," Ashleigh squeaked._

_"Well, I could point out the present that Kellyn wants that no one that I know of is getting him," I said._

_"Thanks," Ashleigh replied. "What about you?"_

_"Me?" I asked._

_"Who will be getting the extra special present from you?" Ashleigh asked._

_"Eh?" I asked. I had never really thought about it before. I try my hardest to keep any romantic feelings down so that Rhythmi, Linda, or even Kate wouldn't give me a hard time about it._

_"Probably Keith," Zenya replied and for the first time, I saw her smile slightly. That, and I realized that despite being so quiet she's REALLY observant and nothing really gets past her. I blushed._

_"If you confess to Kellyn, I guess I'll confess to him when I give him his chocolate cupcakes." I said. "And what about you Zenya?"_

_"Jackie," Zenya replied. "I'll approach him at the party and hand deliver my gift and maybe even confess too." It was here that we made a pact, but little did we know, fate had other plans._

~the party~

_Ashleigh had a present all wrapped up nice with a note that said 'I love you' attached to it and Keith's cupcakes were ready with 'I love you' written on them in red icing. Zenya prepared herself to approach the famous Jackie. We were dressed nicely despite being known to be tomboys. Heck, we were all wearing dresses. Yes, I was wearing a red dress voluntarily!_

_Next thing I knew, before I could deliver the cupcakes, I was pulled to the side by Rhythmi so she could make a comment on how great I looked and I watched in horror as Kate accidentally brought out my cupcakes and set them on the desert table. The cupcakes were devoured so quickly there was no hope left for them. One thing happened after the other and I soon found myself slipping out of the place to run after Ashleigh and Zenya. They were in the bathroom with tears starting to fall from their eyes. Ashleigh told me that Kellyn rejected the confession and then threw the note away in the trash. Zenya didn't even get a chance to deliver her present. She saw Jackie making out with a girl under the mistletoe and she just dropped the present and ran. As for me, Keith probably never even notice that the cupcakes were supposed to be for him._

~end of flashback~

And now you know what happened last Christmas. Well, this year my two quiet friends are more withdrawn than ever before and Rhythmi invited the three of us to come. There's supposed to be karaoke too, but no amount of food or fun could sound appealing enough to us. It wasn't until Chairperson Erma announced that she expected all of us to go and that it was at Kate's house this year, that we realized that going was inevitable.

To be honest, most of our friends haven't seen any of us in a year. I've heard that Keith's prank rates have dropped dramatically, but I shook it off as something unimportant.

We hung around the shopping plaza of Pueltown awhile until we bumped into Summer, Ben, and some tall dude that looked familiar.

"You three going to the party later today?" Summer asked and we nodded.

"I heard there's going to be a lot of food," Ben said.

"You three don't seem thrilled," the dude said.

"Who are you?" I asked. "You look familiar."

"I should, I am a Top Ranger too," the dude replied.

"Kaleb Minami," Zenya replied. "Summer's older brother who seems to really like walls and corners." Kaleb rolled his eyes as his sister laughed with Ben.

"Nah, he's just shy," Summer said with a smile and we nodded. "Well, see you girls at the party!" She ran off with Ben and Kaleb put his hands on Ashleigh's and I's heads.

"You two are shorter than I remember," Kaleb said.

"Why you-!" I exclaimed as I turned red with Ashleigh. He then flicked Ashleigh's forehead.

"Well, see ya shorties and giant," Kaleb said before running after his sister.

"The nerve of that guy," I said as Ashleigh blushed while holding her forehead. "Well, might as well get ready with the Christmas sweaters." We got ready at our shared flat. Ashleigh wore a tan long sleeve sweater that went her thighs halfway like it was made to, black pants, festive red and white knee high socks, and tan fuzzy boots. Zenya wore a blue long sleeve sweater like Ashleigh's, gray pants, gray socks, and black boots. I wore a black t-shirt, a gray cashmere sweater that had dark gray stripes on it, blue jeans, black socks, and black fuzzy boots. We put on our jackets, mine being black, Ashleigh's being gray, and Zenya's being tan before heading out the door.

We made it there in one piece but it was cold since it decided to start snowing. We hung our jackets in the coat closet and made our way to where the party was happening. Ashleigh was avoiding my brother like a plague and I think she missed that there was one person who watched us come in, well, more like her. Kaleb. Zenya went to get a drink while Ashleigh was kidnapped and dragged by Kate to the karaoke machine since she knew she could sing. It was now that Keith suddenly zoned in on me and sat down next to me by the window.

"Hey, how's it going?" Keith asked. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Yeah," I replied quietly while staring at the ground.

"You missed presents last year," Keith said. "Why did you leave so early?"

"Something came up," I replied.

"You could have helped us find the identity of the baker of those good cupcakes," Keith said and I winced. "Now that I think of it, Ashleigh and Zenya left in a hurry faster than you did." He's more observant than I thought.

"I made the cupcakes, Ashleigh was rejected by Kel, and Zenya witnessed her crush making out with another girl," I replied without realizing it.

"So that's why Kal was in a bad mood after you three left and Jackie started to run after he found a present on the floor," Keith said.

"What?" I asked.

"Kaleb's always in the shadow of the famous Top Rangers, especially Kel's," Keith replied. "But I've always suspected that he liked Ashleigh."

"Dang, that must have stung, to have your crush have a crush on someone else," I replied.

"Now, about the cupcakes," Keith said as he tried to change the subject before Kaleb came over since we did catch his attention with our topic of choice.

"They were supposed to be your Christmas present," I replied. "I don't know why Kate touched them."

"Really?" Keith asked. "But then why did the guys say the cupcakes had 'I love you' on them?" I blushed. "Wait, does that mean that note was for me?" I looked away from him as my cheeks burned red.

"Okay, we finally got Ashleigh up here to sing us a Christmas song!" Kate said. I wanted to face palm myself. Kate doesn't know Ashleigh very well and it was obvious since Ashleigh had to be extremely nervous now that all eyes were on her. Music started playing and she stared at the lyric monitor.

"_Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special._" Ashleigh sang. "_Once bitten and twice shyed, I keep my distance, but you still catch my eye. Tell me baby, do you recognize me? Well, it's been a year, it doesn't surprise me. Merry Christmas, I wrapped it up and sent it with a note saying 'I love you', I meant it. Now I know what a fool I've been, but if you kiss me now, I know you'll fool me again. Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day you gave it away._"

I glanced at my brother who is probably realizing that he could apologize though I know Ashleigh won't make the same mistake twice. I then glanced at Kaleb who was leaning against the wall watching Ashleigh before stealing a glance at Keith who then sneaked his hand over to mine and soon he had our fingers entwined.

"_Last Christmas I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away. This year, to save me from tears, I'll give it to someone special," _ Ashleigh sang. "_A crowded room and friends with tired eyes. I'm hiding from you and your soul of eyes. My god, I thought you were someone to rely on! Me, I guess I was just a shoulder to cry on. A face on a lover and a fire in his heart. A girl undercover, but you tore her apart. Maybe this year, maybe this year, I'll give it to someone special. Cuz last Christmas, I gave you my heart, but the very next day, you gave it away._" A while later the song was over and people clapped while Ashleigh escaped from the karaoke stage to the food table where the drinks were.

"You never did answer my question," Keith said as he hand stopped me from going to where to food and drinks were.

"Yes," I replied and approached the food table to see Ashleigh gather food on her plate with her cup of soda and to overhear Zenya being approached by Jackie.

"Um Zenya?" Jackie asked and Zenya froze. I glanced over and saw that Jackie was holding the present Zenya had gotten him last year as well as another one. He showed her last year's gift. "I never got to thank you for the gift last year. You left so quickly." Zenya nodded and Jackie put the pld present in his pocket while still holding the new one behind his back. "I wanted to give you a gift to last year, but I got caught under the mistletoe by a drunken Aria and you can escaped pretty darn fast." Zenya's eyes widen. I had to stop myself from gasping with Ashleigh as Jackie revealed a jewelry box. Zenya took the present and opened it. It was a beautiful diamond necklace.

"It's beautiful," Zenya said. "But why?" Jackie took the necklace and clasped it on around her neck.

"Because there's only one girl I want to be caught with under the mistletoe," Jackie replied.

"Aw," Ashleigh and I said, ruining the somewhat subtle friend spying objective. Zenya turned red before glancing at us with Jackie. Jackie then kissed Zenya and I didn't know if I should be disgusted because two people are kissing in front of me or extremely happy that Zenya's got what she wanted and more. Warm hands touched my sides and I almost practically jumped out of my skin before I saw a tuft of red hair before realizing it was Keith and that he was stealing one of my cookies.

"Keith!" I exclaimed.

"What?" Keith asked before devouring the cookie in one final swoop. Ashleigh giggled.

"I guess I'll leave you two to yourselves," Ashleigh said before leaving me with the redheaded Ranger.

"What do you want?" I asked as I looked at my male friend.

"Since the note was for me, I want to tell you something too!" Keith replied and I blinked. "I love you too!" I turned red and I felt warm lips crash on mine before I realized that he was kissing me.

~Ashleigh's P.O.V.~

Hey, it's me, Ashleigh! Since Karrie's busy kissing her new boyfriend, I suppose you're stuck with me.

This party was okay, though I hated how Kate announced me singing like that. I sat down next to Kaleb who was reading a book like he usually does. I think he was surprised that I sat right next to him, but who knows? I bit on a cookie and once again the silence in which it is the not-awkward-but-you-feel-like-you-should-start-talking kind of silence.

"Want a cookie or a brownie?" I asked as I offered my plate to him. He looked up with surprise.

"Um, sure," he replied and he took a brownie and continued to read while eating.

"What book are you reading?" I asked.

"_The Hobbit_," he replied.

"I love that book!" I exclaimed with my eyes lighting up and everything. "I've read that book at least six times!" Kaleb nodded slowly.

"I've reread it about three or so times," he replied. Yes! We're actually having a conversation!

"What's your favorite part?" I asked.

"Hmm, that's hard," Kaleb replied. "I'd have to say the trolls part."

"That part's funny," I replied with a smile. "I would have to say either the begining or the riddles for me."

"You like riddles?" Kaleb asked.

"Not really, I can never really solve them like others can," I replied. I then spotted Kellyn with Kate coming towards us. Crap. "I think I'm going to go get some fresh air." I then fled outside even though I should really just face them. I slipped on some ice and felt warm arms catch me.

"You should be more careful," Kaleb said and I looked up to see his brown eyes filled with concern and relief as well as other emotions I can't indentify. I blushed.

"Sorry," I replied. "Guess I shouldn't have run off like that."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have," Kaleb replied with a slight smile. "Keep it up and my might have to worry about getting a few gray hairs before I'm thirty."

"You don't have to worry about me, you know?" I said after I was on my own two feet with no assistance from Kaleb.

"Maybe not, but I still do, don't I?" Kaleb replied.

"Touche," I replied while putting my hands on my hips. I then sneezed as I realized how cold my nose is. It must be pink and my cheeks are probably in the same condition.

"Cold?" Kaleb asked with a smile.

"Maybe," I replied as I held my freezing nose with my cold hands. Kaleb wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close to him. He was warm and I like his scent. Yes, I'm a weirdo, okay? I wrapped my arms around him and allowed myself to be engulfed with his warmth.

"Looks like those two are alright," I heard Kate say.

"Yeah," I heard Kellyn replied.

"I always thought they'd make a cute couple," I heard Rhythmi say and I felt myself blush. Guess fate made it so I'd face a rejected confession versus a breakup and extra heartache. I can't believe I was so blind last Christmas that I didn't see that the right special person to give my heart to was right here the whole time.

~Zenya's, Karrie's, and Ashleigh's P.O.V.~

Maybe facing what happened last Christmas was worth it all and I can't say I mind that things turned out like this.


End file.
